Ouch! Those annoying canker sores in your mouth can really make eating a struggle and put your life on hold. The cause of canker sores is not truly known, but seem to appear more frequently in women than in men.

They usually first appear early in life (before 40) on the soft tissues inside your lips, cheeks, and tongue, and last from 10 to 14 days.

Evidence also suggests that people who are deficient in B vitamins and iron, are more prone to get canker sore outbreaks. Unfortunately, if you get canker sores, there’s a good chance you will have them soon again.

Canker sores are a common form of mouth ulcer. They occur in women more often than men. They may occur at any age, but usually, they first appear between the ages of 10 and 40.

Canker sores usually appear on the inner surface of the cheeks and lips, tongue, soft palate, and the base of the gums.

Canker sores can run in families. They may also be linked to problems with the body's immune (defense) system. The sores may occur after a mouth injury due to dental work, aggressive tooth cleaning, or biting the tongue or cheek.

Canker sores can be triggered by emotional stress, dietary deficiencies (especially iron, folic acid, or Vitamin B-12), menstrual periods, hormonal changes, food allergies, and similar situations. They occur most commonly with viral infections. In some cases, the cause cannot be identified.

The first symptom is usually a tingling or burning sensation that you feel before other symptoms develop.

The following symptoms may then occur:

• Painful, red spot or bump that develops into an open ulcer
• Center is colored white or yellow
• Usually small (under 1 cm) but occasionally larger
• Single bump or group of bumps (crops)
• Sore may turn gray just before starting to heal